Viking British Isles Cruise - Tips for others going on this cruise

[Twitchly]

Here’s a tip for others who take this cruise: don’t get your hopes up about seeing Ullapool. I’m not sure what the success rate is for docking there, but based on posts here and elsewhere I suspect it’s pretty low.
 

We were supposed to stop there today but unsurprisingly got a sea day instead. Too windy and unsettled to take the tenders in.
 

This actually works fine for me because I had to cancel my seat on our excursion anyway due to a sprained knee. Now we have a credit to our shipboard account we would’ve otherwise lost since I couldn’t cancel in time. (I sprained the knee too late to meet the 48-hour deadline.) Time to go shopping! 

[janetcbl]

23 minutes ago, Twitchly said:

The ship will be docked in Bergen overnight, so getting off early to make your train shouldn’t be an issue.

 

We took the train from Bergen to Oslo a few years ago. I don’t think one side is better than the other. Early on, the scenery on the left was spectacular. Later, we had better views on the right. (We sat on the right.) You really can’t go wrong. 
 

I didn’t know there was a business class on the train. We did the Viking extension, and Viking rented two of the cars for us; a very good tour guide talked to us a bit as we traveled. It helped the time pass; it’s a very long ride. But I’m glad we did it.

If I recall correctly, you get a more comfortable seat in Business Class, coffee is available and seats are assigned. Totally agree with everything Twitchly said!

Edited September 21, 2022 by janetcbl
Typo

[happyyaya]

Thank you Twitchly!

 

RE the train from Bergen to Oslo:  I am reading from many folks to avoid booking tickets with Rail Ninja. Yet when I go to the Norway train site, and lock in my dates (granted - not until May 2023) it flips me immediately to the Rail Ninja site. It appears that's the only way I can reserve tickets? 

 

Anyone have experience booking train tickets from Bergen to Oslo online? With Rail Ninja?  

 

Or will tickets be released on the train company's site itself 90 days prior to the date we want?

 

Any assistance or enlightenment would be most appreciated!

[Ceegeefl]

So sorry to hear about your sprained knee,Twitchly. Hope it doesn't prevent you from missing too many excursions.

I am enjoying your posts so much! We're taking this cruise in June and your posts are very informative. 

Very impressive that you packed everything in 2 carry ons! Still trying to wrap my mind around how to do that!

Enjoy the rest of your cruise

[SempreMare]

@Twitchly would you like anything from the World Cafe?  
 

it’s open for 45 more minutes.

 

If you say no you’ll be depriving me of much-needed exercise. 
 

tip: a cute British comedy appropriate for our voyage available on Viking room TV: 

 

The Duke

[Twitchly]

22 minutes ago, SempreMare said:

@Twitchly would you like anything from the World Cafe?  
 

it’s open for 45 more minutes.

 

If you say no you’ll be depriving me of much-needed exercise. 
 

tip: a cute British comedy appropriate for our voyage available on Viking room TV: 

 

The Duke

Thank you! That’s very thoughtful. We’ll keep an eye out for that show.

 

The knee is a bit better today, so I’ve been hobbling around the ship and inadvertently whacking people with the cane Viking provided. (How do people use these things??)  I’ve had more than enough to eat so will pass on your very kind offer.
 

We just went to the very informative scotch tasting — that Silver Spirits package is coming in *very* handy — and we’re now in the Explorer Lounge waiting for that lovely guitarist to start. If you drop by, we’d love to meet you! I’m in a blue floral sweater with my feet up on a couch; DH is the handsome bearded guy across from me.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Twitchly

[janetcbl]

5 hours ago, happyyaya said:

Thank you Twitchly!

 

RE the train from Bergen to Oslo:  I am reading from many folks to avoid booking tickets with Rail Ninja. Yet when I go to the Norway train site, and lock in my dates (granted - not until May 2023) it flips me immediately to the Rail Ninja site. It appears that's the only way I can reserve tickets? 

 

Anyone have experience booking train tickets from Bergen to Oslo online? With Rail Ninja?  

 

Or will tickets be released on the train company's site itself 90 days prior to the date we want?

 

Any assistance or enlightenment would be most appreciated!

From my experience, tickets go on sale 90 days before departure. This info is from Pre-COVID  days. 

[whitbob]

7 hours ago, Twitchly said:

Here’s a tip for others who take this cruise: don’t get your hopes up about seeing Ullapool. I’m not sure what the success rate is for docking there, but based on posts here and elsewhere I suspect it’s pretty low.
 

We were supposed to stop there today but unsurprisingly got a sea day instead. Too windy and unsettled to take the tenders in.
 

This actually works fine for me because I had to cancel my seat on our excursion anyway due to a sprained knee. Now we have a credit to our shipboard account we would’ve otherwise lost since I couldn’t cancel in time. (I sprained the knee too late to meet the 48-hour deadline.) Time to go shopping! 

This is very good advice.  If planning this cruise, I would not want to have an independent tour planned in Ullapool that is non-refundable.  We were on the previous Mars BIE cruise, and skipped the port due to wind, and I believe the cruise sailing before ours also missed the port due to wind.

 

 

[ColonyGirl2]

We just finished our BI trip on September 1, after spending 6 additional days in Norway.  For those interested in taking the train, I recommend doing it yourself.   Our 6 nights, and our DIY-" Norway in a Nutshell" trip cost less than Viking's excursion for one person.  I recommend NOT booking with Rail Ninja as it is more expensive and there is a lot of bad press on-line.  Book with Vy, the national rail line.

 

I booked the train from Bergen to Voss, about 90 days in advance with no problems.  At Voss, you then take a scenic bus ride to Gudvangen where you board a ferry to Flam.  You travel through 2 fjords and the views are dramatic.  We spent the night in Flam and then took the Flamsbana train to Myrdal, where we changed to the Oslo train.  We then spent 3 nights in Oslo.  

Book the trains at around 90 days and if you stay in Flam, book that hotel because the options are limited. The bus does not need to be precooked as they will determine how many buses they need based on how many train passengers are getting off in Voss.  There were 4 buses on our day.

Google "Norway in a Nutshell" and just follow their timing.  You can book through them, but you pay about 50% more for that convenience.  Also you can get senior discounts and pick your seats when you book on your own.

I am including some pictures from the bus, ferry and Flamsbana train.  

[Twitchly]

A couple of observations from our current cruise:

 

At Edinburgh, you’ll likely have a long (45-minute) tender ride to the shore, then another half hour or so bus ride into the city. So there’s no hopping on and off the ship; you have to make a commitment to visit Edinburgh and be prepared for a long commute. (If you get seasick on tender rides, might want to take precautions for this lengthy one.)
 

The Orkneys, on the other hand, required no tendering and had a handy 5-minute shuttle into Kirkwall. We did the included tour in the morning, which took us to stops at a neighboring town and to the standing stones, then in the afternoon hopped onto the shuttle to Kirkwall and wandered there for a bit. Both are well worth doing. (I overdid it with the knee, so I decided to pass on the marathon to Edinburgh today. Pity me having to spend more time on this gorgeous ship, being waited on.)

 

 

Edited September 23, 2022 by Twitchly

[happyyaya]

Twitchly:  The info about Edinburgh and Orkneys is VERY helpful!   Thanks so much!  Really appreciate your comments on all the ports...very helpful in our planning for when we do this in April 2023. So sorry about your knee...that is a real bummer but as you say, nice you're on a beautiful ship! 

 

Have never done a Viking ocean cruise....have done 16 with Celebrity. Can you tell me how the dining works? I know we get to make reservations XX days out from our cruise (we'll be in a PV1). Is the World Cafe the place you eat if you don't have a reservation? And all the others need a reservation? We're late eaters...do many people make reservations, for example, for 8:50 PM? 

 

TRULY appreciate your insights here! 

[CurlerRob]

5 hours ago, happyyaya said:

Twitchly:  The info about Edinburgh and Orkneys is VERY helpful!   Thanks so much!  Really appreciate your comments on all the ports...very helpful in our planning for when we do this in April 2023. So sorry about your knee...that is a real bummer but as you say, nice you're on a beautiful ship! 

 

Have never done a Viking ocean cruise....have done 16 with Celebrity. Can you tell me how the dining works? I know we get to make reservations XX days out from our cruise (we'll be in a PV1). Is the World Cafe the place you eat if you don't have a reservation? And all the others need a reservation? We're late eaters...do many people make reservations, for example, for 8:50 PM? 

 

TRULY appreciate your insights here! 

 

If you have not already found it, you may find this thread of use. It's very long, and contains info back to 2017, but if you use the CC "search" function you will be able to find a lot of useful info.

 

 

The only dining reservations required are for the two specialty restaurants - Manfredi's and the Chef's Table. Those are what will open XX days out. You can also request additional reservations for them once on board - and as late diners, you should be able to secure additional seats without much problem.

 

The World Cafe is the "buffet" - although that's a bit of a misnomer, as it is high quality. The Main Dining Room also does not require reservations - simply show up and request your table. Even at prime times (around 7:00 - 7:30) we have never waited more than 10 minutes.

 

As you prefer to dine late, I cannot imagine you having any problems with either reservations or seating, as you will likely be well outside the general dining time. The information I see shows 9pm as the latest time available for dining - others may be able to assist with whether there are any issues with dining late.

 

Enjoy your planning! 🍺🥌

Edited September 23, 2022 by CurlerRob
Correction

[Heidi13]

8 hours ago, Twitchly said:

A couple of observations from our current cruise:

 

At Edinburgh, you’ll likely have a long (45-minute) tender ride to the shore, then another half hour or so bus ride into the city. So there’s no hopping on and off the ship; you have to make a commitment to visit Edinburgh and be prepared for a long commute. (If you get seasick on tender rides, might want to take precautions for this lengthy one.)
 

The Orkneys, on the other hand, required no tendering and had a handy 5-minute shuttle into Kirkwall. We did the included tour in the morning, which took us to stops at a neighboring town and to the standing stones, then in the afternoon hopped onto the shuttle to Kirkwall and wandered there for a bit. Both are well worth doing. (I overdid it with the knee, so I decided to pass on the marathon to Edinburgh today. Pity me having to spend more time on this gorgeous ship, being waited on.)

 

 

Wow, a 45 min tender ride to the dock is unfortunate, as depending on the wind, the Firth can be rather lumpy. Did the ship anchor up by the bridges at North or South Queensferry?

[CCWineLover]

1 minute ago, CurlerRob said:

The only dining reservations required are for the two specialty restaurants - Manfredi's and the Chef's Table. Those are what will open XX days out. You can also request additional reservations for them once on board - and as late diners, you should be able to secure additional seats without much problem.

 

The World Cafe is the "buffet" - although that's a bit of a misnomer, as it is high quality. The Main Dining Room also does not require reservations - simply show up and request your table. Even at prime times (around 7:00 - 7:30) we have never waited more than 10 minutes.

 

Enjoy your planning! 🍺🥌

Excellent summary!

In our 6 post COVID Viking Ocean cruises, we found that most of the time, dining reservations at Chef's Table and Manfredi's ahead of the cruise were nearly impossible to get.  Don't be discouraged.  Viking opens up a huge number of reservations the first day of the cruise, so immediately upon boarding, install the Viking Voyager app and get the reservations you want.  And even then, in the back half of the trip, all those people who made reservations initially have cancelled them and tables usually go begging.

 

Also Be aware that the World Cafe offers basically the exact same food/menu as the Restaurant.

Enjoy eating on the Viking Ship!

 

Don't forget the excellent room service as well!

[CCWineLover]

2 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Wow, a 45 min tender ride to the dock is unfortunate, as depending on the wind, the Firth can be rather lumpy. Did the ship anchor up by the bridges at North or South Queensferry?

Andy -

On our cruise back in July (it happened to be a nice day), we anchored rather close, and our tender ride was just 10-15 minutes max.  We anchored off the jetty behind where the Royal Britannia is.  I happened to take a snapshot of our location (Viking Venus), plus Charlotte Square, where the free shuttles would pick up/drop off.

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

3 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

so immediately upon boarding, install the Viking Voyager app and get the reservations you want

Best practices is to install the app before you travel. No need to use the ship’s bandwidth installing an app.

[Heidi13]

5 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Andy -

On our cruise back in July (it happened to be a nice day), we anchored rather close, and our tender ride was just 10-15 minutes max.  We anchored off the jetty behind where the Royal Britannia is.  I happened to take a snapshot of our location (Viking Venus), plus Charlotte Square, where the free shuttles would pick up/drop off.

 

 

Thanks Kent - While I haven't anchored off Leith, I have seen the ships anchored just off Newhaven Harbour, which is a short tender ride. Can only assume the winds weren't conducive to anchoring there, or another ship was anchored.

 

When they head down to the Bridge, rather than tendering back to Newhaven, then normally tender into either North or South Queensferry, which is then a longer road/rail trip into Edinburgh.

[Jim Avery]

Andy, our experience was like yours.  can't imagine a 45 minute tender ride in that harbor.  And with a private tour the ride in is considerably shorter.  Cheaper too.🍸

[happyyaya]

Soooo much helpful information! Thank you everyone!

[safeman]

On 8/30/2022 at 11:13 AM, JerryInIL said:

Miche99. The excursion price list isn’t mine.  I stole it from FB.  We sail August 2023.

Thanks so much for posting the pricelist Miche99!! We're also booked for August 2023. Bergen to London. August 15 to 29. Which booking are you on?

Edited September 24, 2022 by safeman

[safeman]

20 hours ago, Twitchly said:

A couple of observations from our current cruise:

 

At Edinburgh, you’ll likely have a long (45-minute) tender ride to the shore, then another half hour or so bus ride into the city. So there’s no hopping on and off the ship; you have to make a commitment to visit Edinburgh and be prepared for a long commute. (If you get seasick on tender rides, might want to take precautions for this lengthy one.)
 

The Orkneys, on the other hand, required no tendering and had a handy 5-minute shuttle into Kirkwall. We did the included tour in the morning, which took us to stops at a neighboring town and to the standing stones, then in the afternoon hopped onto the shuttle to Kirkwall and wandered there for a bit. Both are well worth doing. (I overdid it with the knee, so I decided to pass on the marathon to Edinburgh today. Pity me having to spend more time on this gorgeous ship, being waited on.)

 

 

Thanks VERY much Twitchly for your observations! It really helps to plan our cruise in August 2023.

[safeman]

2 hours ago, safeman said:

Thanks so much for posting the pricelist Miche99!! We're also booked for August 2023. Bergen to London. August 15 to 29. Which booking are you on?

OOPS Sorry Miche99. I meant JerryInIL. 

[Twitchly]

21 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Wow, a 45 min tender ride to the dock is unfortunate, as depending on the wind, the Firth can be rather lumpy. Did the ship anchor up by the bridges at North or South Queensferry?

According to Mr Twitchly, it didn’t turn out to be 45 minutes. About half that, he thought. Not sure why we were told it would be 45 minutes, unless one counted the time waiting at either end.

 

We were not close to the bridges, though we could see them in the distance. 

[pmfne]

5 hours ago, Twitchly said:

According to Mr Twitchly, it didn’t turn out to be 45 minutes. About half that, he thought. Not sure why we were told it would be 45 minutes, unless one counted the time waiting at either end.

 

We were not close to the bridges, though we could see them in the distance. 

Hi Twitchly and Mr Twitchly, (I am on your cruise too). I think you are both correct. They did say to allow 45 minutes, which must have included possible waiting time. We walked straight on to an early tender and to Newhaven Harbour in under 20 minutes. We didn’t catch the inward shuttle, but walked to the city (and at one point took a taxi to a friend’s apartment) and made it to Charlotte Square in time for the last shuttle back. It took less than 15 minutes. 
On our only other Viking Ocean cruise, we docked at Rosyth - this was a much longer transit to the city.

[Twitchly]

Aaaand you might want to moderate your hopes for docking on Shetland, too. We just missed that one as well, and a fellow passenger mentioned this was the third time they’d been on a cruise that had to drop it. (“Guess third time isn’t a charm after all.”)

 

I admit I was quite disappointed about this one. But Viking has taken us to Stavanger instead today, which is a decent consolation prize, even though shops will apparently be closed since it’s Sunday. Time to go get my rain gear and see what we can see.